The Element of Surprise
by Kiyama
Summary: Remembering… It’s such a lovely thing to remember. Forgetting… It’s just so relieving to forget. You can choose to forget what you want forget and remember what you want to remember. But if you can't, what can that lead to? [JouxMai]


_A/n: Yes, it has been MONTHS, man, friggin' MONTHS. I hope that those of you that read this like it. I have worked at least 3 hard months writing it. I am so sorry for the delay. -Kiyama_

**The Element of Surprise**

**:: Summary ::**

_Remembering…_

_It's such a lovely thing to remember._

_Forgetting…_

_It's just so relieving to forget._

_You can choose to forget what you want forget and remember what you want to remember._

_She can't… She's unable to… She has no control over it…_

_And now…_

_It's driving her to the brink of insanity._

**:: - ::**

Her finger lightly traced the flowers carved into the wood of the bed frame headboard. Her long blonde curls fell lightly and freely over her shoulders. She wore a simple white dress with sleeves that cupped her shoulders, a broad neckline, a slimming waist, and a flowing skirt. As her violet eyes followed her tracing finger she only spoke one single word, a single name…

"Jounouchi…"

Her voice was quiet… innocent. So much had happened to her but she couldn't seem to remember anything. Not a single thing. It was all gone, all of it… just gone. The doctors in this facility knew, they all knew. They had to put her on medication at all times to keep her calm and content, to keep her unaware of her unstable mind.

Without it… she would not last long, she would surely breakdown. She would lose herself much more than she already had. Although, she could not be blamed for this, after all that she had seen. No one could believe that she could have actually survived… No one, but in her condition she didn't really seem to be alive.

She had been in a terrible state to begin with. She couldn't escape the nightmares, they haunted her, controlled her, and she feared them. She couldn't escape them, no matter how much she tried and she had been ready to give up. She couldn't seem to find a way out or someone who cared for her. An opportunity opened to her which made her hook up with the wrong group of people. This only hurt her even more, it only got worse. She was ready to give up on life just as life had given up on her.

But then… he came back to her.

"Jounouchi."

Her body began to tremble; the medications were slowly wearing off, his name made her even more afraid, as if it had struck something from deep within her soul, her memory. She knew that he wasn't here and this triggered something hidden inside her memory, she was remembering what happened. Her breathing quickened, her heart raced and her body shook fiercely.

"No. No. No. No. No."

She whispered, repeating the word over and over again as her voice grew louder and even more pained with each time she spoke it. Her eyes were closed tightly and her hands were pressed over her ears, she was trying to make it all go away and leave her mind. The sounds… the sights. But she couldn't, she couldn't fight it anymore. Her voice was suddenly let loose, high-pitched and full of fear as she remembered what had happened not too long ago.

**:: – Flashback – ::**

_Blood. _

_Blood was everywhere…_

_She couldn't move; her body was paralyzed. She felt pain running through her legs and arms, she could barely breathe, her lungs felt smothered and restrained. She could hardly stand it. She desperately tried to look to her left, to see him. Was he even there? She didn't know; her heart raced as she looked at the blood before her. Her breathing accelerated as she screamed, scared out of her mind._

**:: - ::**

Her breathing began to slow down as the needle in her left arm injected the sedative into her ever flowing blood stream. Her memories slowly faded away and her mind began to simplify again. She could feel eyes staring down at her as she gradually began to calm down, her heart beat returning to its normal pace.

Her body was cushioned by the soft white comforter and sheets beneath it. She stared aimlessly to her left with her head turned on its side. Her left arm rested at her side, her right arm was bent upward with her hand resting on her long curly blonde hair that was sprawled over the bed blankets, and her legs were together; covered by her white flowing skirt.

The sedatives that were given to her were meant to temporarily clear her mind, clear it of the memories. The drugs that kept being injected into her body had somehow turned her mind into that of a child. It was as if a four year old girl resided within the twenty-six year olds' body. The doctors knew that this was the only way to keep her content and study her condition, her sickness. Why she didn't want to remember? Why did it cause her so much pain when she did?

"I…"

She never really had a childhood to begin with, at least not a good childhood which all children deserved. She was always alone, her mother and father were never there; they seemed to have abandoned her. She never really had friends either. But as she grew up into a teenager and then an adult, she came to believe that the only person that you can depend on is yourself… and no one else.

A while later in her life when she was trying to get by on her own, she only had one friend, a guardian, a winged beauty. She felt somewhat content with this one fictional friend but then her whole life changed. She was invited to a grand event and to her surprise she made friends there; or rather they made friends with her. Sure, they all had their quirks but they were her friends. They had set her straight, they taught her that it's better to be with friends than to be alone and she believed it. Soon afterwards, they departed and she only got trapped in a greater mess.

"I…I…"

She wasn't able to speak the words she wanted to say, they wouldn't come to the tip of her tongue and leave her lips. The fact was that the medications were making it utterly impossible for her memory to come through. There was no question that she couldn't bring back her memories on her own free will. She knew, even in her child-like state, that there was something she needed to remember but she still didn't want to remember. She was at ease now; it had been a long time since she had been this content… at least since he left her.

"I… don't…"

Her breathing began to hasten, just as before, her heartbeat quickened and her violet eyes widened. It was coming back, even with the medications, the sedatives, the drugs, that had been injected into her body. She sat up, her face looking up at the ceiling and her arms dangling at her sides, her body shook fiercely. She was remembering when her life had first taken a turn for the worse. The day she swore a part of her had died.

"_I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!!!_"

**:: – Flashback – ::**

_She collapsed to the floor, sighing with after all that just happened. She could hear two people speaking but she couldn't hear what they were saying. The one she cared for suddenly stood up from where he couched down in front of her. His body froze, something was wrong. She could sense it._

"_Jounouchi! What did you do to him?" She shouted angrily at the evil figure walking toward her._

"_Not to worry, he'll be fine but there's something we need to discuss," said an eerie voice as he crouched down in front of her, just behind Jounouchi. "You still have my Egyptian God Card in your deck and I want it back." He told her as he slipped his index finger just under the nook of her chin and lifted her face to look at his._

"_Now it is time to fulfill my promise. I said if you lost, you would be trapped in the Shadow Realm for eternity." He told her with a spine-chilling smirk._

"_The Shadow Realm?" She repeated with her voice full of confusion, not knowing exactly what he was talking about. _

"_Did you forget? I know you memory has failed you but you and I had an agreement." He said as he stood up and brought the item called the Millennium Rod in front of her as a golden glow emitted from it._

_With a flash of light before her eyes, she appeared in a whole new setting. She found herself in what seemed to be a gigantic hourglass that was floating in the sky. Her panic quickened her heartbeat, she was truly scared and she didn't know what to think._

"_Where am I and where did everybody go?" Her mind shouted with confusion as she looked below from where she was._

_She saw a beautiful ocean view with blue-green water lapping the golden sand and the nice breeze blowing the tropical trees. She also saw her friends, playing, and having-fun, all without her._

"_Guys please help me!" She shouted to them, banging on the glass she was encased in, trying to get their attention._

"_Scream all you want they can't hear you." _

_She looked and noticed the one who had brought her to this place was here as well, floating in mid-air as she was. Nothing made sense anymore, why was any of this happening._

"_But they seem to be having fun and they don't seem to be missing you at all Kujyaku Mai," He said turning to her, "Now are you beginning to understand where you are?" He asked her, "You're in sort of a living nightmare. You'll be completely alone for the rest of eternity. And here you'll sit, day after day in isolation as your friends disappear one by one." He told her with a sinister smirk. _

"_Oh no!" Her mind shouted in fear and panic._

"_I hope you enjoy your stay in the Shadow Realm. Oh and one last thing, I'm taking back my card." He told her as her began to laugh insanely at how pitiful she had become._

_He took the card out from between the top and bottom of the hourglass she was in. Sand began to fall from the top of the hourglass and over her. Suddenly she saw Jounouchi appear before her with the same warm smile on his face. _

"_Hey Mai!" Jounouchi said with his usual energetic tone. _

"_Jounouchi, don't leave me here!" She pleaded to him with all her heart._

"_Later!" He told her in a somewhat cruel manner as his body turned into sand and crumbled into dust right in front of her eyes._

"_No! Please! Come back…_

**:: - ::**

Her violet eyes widened as she stared at the ceiling, her breathing stopped for a moment as heavy intakes of air came into her lungs. She had just remembered the scariest event in her entire life, the one thing she wanted to forget the most for it had changed her. It had changed her for the worse. Her arms laid crossed limply over one another, just under her breasts. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing slowed to a normal rate.

"Please…"

She began to remember a time when she was in this sort of state. It was almost a year and a half ago. She had been saved; she had been taken by the hand to be lead into the light. She was shown that she was loved, she had someone who cared for her and this is the someone she loved in return. She remembered the night she saw him for the first time in a long time.

"Please come back to me Jounouchi…"

**:: – Memory – ::**

The rain fell onto the windshield as it did on everything else. The wipers swished back and forth in an even rhythm, making the water clear off of the glass only to be poured on once again. The weather seemed to express the dread in the air of the automobile. Jounouchi turned and peered over at the one sitting in passenger seat, only taking his eyes off the road for a single moment before turning his attention back to driving.

It had been almost six full months since he had last seen her. She had recently given up her 'weaker' half to an evil god in hopes to become stronger and the best duelist the world had ever seen which had gotten her in a greater mess than ever before. Even after her weaker half was returned, he didn't understand how she could have lost herself so much. She didn't seem to be the same person she once was. Why hadn't she told him? Did she even want his help?

Even so…Mai was now suffering from mental disorders. The doctor's weren't sure what to tell him. They weren't even sure they had all the answers to the cause of it all. All they did tell him was the diagnoses and the symptoms that occurred to prove them.

_Schizophrenia…_

_A severe psychiatric disorder with symptoms of emotional instability, detachment from reality, often with delusions and hallucinations, and withdrawal into the self._

_Post-Traumatic Stress (Anxiety) Disorder…_

_A psychological condition that may affect people who have suffered severe emotional trauma, and may cause sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, flashbacks, anxiety, tiredness, and depression. Images and emotions are imprinted into the consciousness in the form of flashbacks, dreams and re-experiencing, and it re-activates the trauma. This is recognized and any situations where this occurs may begin to be avoided._

Jounouchi tried not to think about it but it seemed immensely impossible. Anzu had been the one to pick-up the phone and call him, telling him she had found Mai. She knew that Jounouchi had been worried about Mai since they last saw her when she was working on the evil side. Anzu had been told by her mother, Dr. Mazaki, that Mai had recently been admitted to the Domino Mental Institute, where her mother worked. Anzu told Jounouchi that Mai's state of mind was in critical condition and the doctors, including her mother, weren't sure that Mai could be cured so they only kept her on medication that would calm her.

It had only been an hour ago since he had signed the paperwork that made him, Jounouchi Katsuya, Mai's care taker or guardian until she was "cured". After filling out all of the official business, Dr. Mazaki lead him to Mai's room. Jounouchi couldn't believe how nervous he felt. He could feel himself trembling as he took each step closer to Mai. Once there, he hesitated as he read the name on the cold, stone door before him.

"_Kujyaku Mai."_

Dr. Mazaki opened the door for him and his deep brown eyes fell upon her, the one he had been searching for. Her long blonde curls fell freely over her shoulders; her eyes looked blank and empty of thought as she stared off at nothing, not seeing anything around her. In his mind, Jounouchi knew the only things she saw were the few happy moments and dreams she had gently wrapped around her soul making her content and sound. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

Jounouchi came to a stop as he pulled into the driveway. He turned the key, stuck in the ignition, which shut off the automobile leaving only the sound of the rain, gently hitting the outside of the vehicle. He slid the keys into his right, back pocket before he brought his arms behind his head, leaning back fully against the driver's seat.

"Looks like we're here." He said as he sighed in exhaustion from the long car ride.

Mai looked up from where she had been spacing off and glanced out the rain drop covered window. From where she sat she could see the two-level house that was presumed to be Jounouchi's home. It was a big change from the downtown apartment that he used to live in with his drunken father. This house was run on his own money that he worked hard for and it was his mother had been the one to buy it for him in the first place. Jounouchi suddenly looked over at Mai as she continued to look outside the drenched glass.

"You want to go in?" Jounouchi asked aloud, his voice calm and friendly sounding.

Mai's head spun around to look at him, her long curly blonde hair moving beautifully with the flow. She seemed a bit scared from the sudden question he had asked her. After a long moment of silence and many glimpses, Mai looked somewhat downward and nodded curtly as she agreed with the suggestion. Jounouchi's lips pursed into a grin as he turned around and opened the car door, stepping out into the pouring water that began to soak into his blue jean jacket.

Shutting the door, he raced around the back of his blue-green Hyundai Accent and pulled up the outside door lever which allowed the rain to begin to pour into the passenger side of the car. Mai looked up at Jounouchi, the once kind and gentle fire that filled her eyes was now gone as if the tears she had cried let it escape. He could do nothing but continue to smile at her, hoping that somehow she would smile back at him.

"We'd better hurry so you don't get too wet Mai."

Jounouchi watched as a flash went through her eyes, as if she suddenly felt something, as if she suddenly realized something. Mai watched as Jounouchi gently grasped her hand, lifted her out of the car and took her body into his arms, shutting the car door by bumping it to a close with his bottom. Jounouchi sprinted to the front steps that lead up to the side door of his house. As soon as he stood on top of the platform he gently set Mai down on her feet, she looked up at him with half confusion and half excitement. That was the first time he had seen that look in her eyes for a very long time.

Jounouchi stared back into her violet eyes for a long moment before he noticed that he had already made a mistake and had forgotten his manners.

"Why don't we get out of this gloomy weather and go inside." He said as he gestured towards the plain white door in front of them.

Mai's eyes drifted to the doorknob as she spaced off in its direction, not even seeing it but seeing her thoughts before her eyes. She finally nodded after a moment of silence between them as the familiar pitter-patter of the rain continued. Jounouchi stepped forward and took the keys from his back pocket and flipped through the few on the key ring in his hand before he selected on and stuck it into the fitting slit of the brass doorknob. Turning the key, he quickly opened the door allowing Mai to walk past him and into his house.

Mai looked up at him, fear in her confused eyes. Jounouchi smiled at her, his deep brown eyes telling her it was alright for her to proceed. As Mai looked away from him and into the darkened hallway in front of her, Jounouchi caught a single glimpse of a small smile making its way on her soft face. This only made him all the more happier that she was beginning to trust him, especially since she feared most people around her.

Jounouchi closed the door behind them and lead Mai up the stairs to the right of the side door which, lead to another hallway that consisted of four doors that were equally spaced apart on either sides of the corridor. Jounouchi lead Mai to the second door to the right and opened it to reveal a medium sized guest room that looked practically untouched and neat.

"Well Mai, what do ya think?" Jounouchi asked her, curiosity and excitement filling his voice. "This will be your room for your stay, well, at least until you're cured anyway." He said smiling at her.

Mai walked slowly into the room, as if trying to grasp all that was happening. She wandered towards the full-sized bed, brushing her fingertips softly over the white comforter and smiling as she did so. She sharply turned around to look at Jounouchi, who now leaned against the trim of the door way, and she began to tug at the bottom of her long-sleeved black shirt. Suddenly, he realized what she was trying to tell him.

"Oh yeah!" He exclaimed, "I should get your stuff outta the car!" He said, mentally slapping himself in the face for overlooking it.

Mai smiled as she nodded. She even started to giggled a bit at his expression as he bursted out into spasms.

Once Jounouchi collected himself, he went out into the rain and retrieved Mai's possessions and brought them to her room. He reminded her that he would be across the hall if she needed anything and that they both should get some sleep since it was almost 10:30 p.m. After settling down, both Mai and Jounouchi found peace in their dreams but for Mai that would only last for so long…

**::…Summer has come and passed… The innocent can never last… Wake me up when September ends…::**

Mai tossed and turned as the white sheets mingled with her body and her blonde curly hair began to stick to her face, covered in hot sweat. Moans and small cries of pain came from her mouth. Her body shivered and twitched madly as her eyes stayed shut tightly. In her mind the dreams of the forbidden realm haunted her, chased her, and scared her to death.

Her violet eyes opened–

She screamed like she never screamed before, never so pained and scared before.

It was the worst reoccurrence she had dreamt about yet. Sweat dripped down her smooth face, her body heaved heavily as she inhaled air so that her body could calm down and return to its normal rate but it seemed that would not happen. Her bare arms rested crossed over her breasts.

There was a slam of her bedroom door and a great pound of hurried footsteps followed. It was Jounouchi who came to Mai's side, sitting on the ruffled sheets of the bed. He placed his hand over her bare shoulder comfortingly. Jounouchi looked down at Mai seeing that she wore a white tank top with small straps and a pair of short white shorts.

"Mai? What's wrong?" Jounouchi asked her with concern filling the softness of his voice.

Mai slowly turned her face to look up at his, her eyes screamed pain and the torture of what this insanity was doing to her. Tears filled her eyes and they fell down her cheeks, this made her look vulnerable as it had every time she had cried after every nightmare she'd had. She sniffed back her sobs as she stared at Jounouchi, she silently crying before him.

"Jou-nouchi!" She shouted as she buried her face into chest, sobbing wholeheartedly.

Her back trembled as she let go and cried without holding back at all. Jounouchi gradually brought his arms around her body, pulling hers closer to his. He began to gently rub her back and pull his hand gently through her hair, attempting to calm her as she continued to sob profusely.

After several minutes Mai's sobbing had died down to a few random sniffles and her hand clenching onto his blue t-shirt. Her body had stop shivering and she seemed to be content once more. More content due to the fact that she was so close to Jounouchi, the fact that she felt absolutely safe from anything and everything she feared while she was in his arms.

"Jou… Jounouchi?" She asked in a quiet yet tired voice.

"Hmm?"

"What is a feeling… a feeling of wanting… wanting to be with someone… wanting to be nowhere but with them?" She said, her words jumbled and barely making sense.

Jounouchi smiled.

This was the first time Mai had said something other than his name.

"It's called love, Mai." Jounouchi said, letting the words just roll off his tongue.

Mai lifted her head, looking into his deep brown eyes. Her tears had dried and her face wasn't nearly as pained as it was moments ago. Jounouchi could only smile at her, only wishing she would smile back at him.

"I want… to keep this feeling… Will you let me?"

Jounouchi leaned in his face closer to hers.

"Why wouldn't I?"

His velvet lips caressed her own as they both were wrapped in the warmth of their enchanting kiss. This was the one event that they both had been looking forward to since the very moment they had become friends because they both had always wanted to become more…

**::…Here comes the rain again… Falling from the stars… Drenched in my pain again… Becoming who we are…::**

Days came and passed, then weeks, then months and now it had been a year. Mai had changed and her personality turned around. She was almost the very same person she once was before her nightmare had come. There were only a few things different. She was a quieter person and she didn't believe that she was alone. She knew that wasn't true. And the final thing that had changed was the fact that she loved him and she had admitted it to him.

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon, the sun was out and the weather was better than it had been so far this spring but then again it was late May. Consequently, this was Mai's favorite time of year because the weather was nice and this was when the Cherry Blossoms would begin to bloom. Mai sat on the middle of her bed, wearing a white spring kimono with purple blooming cherry blossoms painted all over it. She was braiding her long wavy blonde hair, leaving her very front bangs hanging her face. Once she finished she stared out the open window for a moment, admiring the beauty of the season.

"You just look so beautiful, you know that?"

Mai looked up at the doorway, seeing Jounouchi in his kimono as well. His was a deep forest green color and it was very plain compared to hers. She smiled.

"But you say that everyday." She said with a small laugh.

Jounouchi walked up to the bed and laid down beside where she sat, making her look down at him.

"I never tire of it and it's true. Besides, every time I say it you laugh and I love it when you laugh." Jounouchi said sincerely.

Mai only laughed quietly.

"You're so cute when you do this." Mai said as she began to pull her fingers through his blonde locks absent-mindedly, staring into his deep brown eyes.

Jounouchi lifted himself up and lightly brushed his lips on hers, only pulling back so that they were nose-to-nose. Jounouchi raised his hand to her cheek and lightly brushed his fingernails over her soft cheek.

"Will you let me?" Mai whispered to him, just like she had asked him the very night she had come to live with him.

Jounouchi's leaned in so that they're lips were just barely touching.

"The real question is, will you let _me_?" Jounouchi whispered before interlocking their lips so sweet and so gently that nothing else seemed to matter.

Jounouchi's hand found hers and sewed his fingers with hers; lacing them together, never part the entire time, not even for a second. Their feelings were expressed and their love was shown making everything fall into place, like the pieces of a puzzle longing to be finished…

**::…As my memory rests… But never forgets what I lost… Wake me up when September ends…::**

The stars glimmered above in the dark night sky. The street light lit the road as well as the blue-accent Accent headlights illuminating the pavement in front of it as it zoomed by. Jounouchi was again at the wheel and Mai sat in the passenger's seat, just like all of their car rides, except this time… As Jounouchi's hand rested on the gear shift lever, Mai's hand rested on top of his, as if trying to show their bond in a simple action.

Yesterday afternoon they had proved their feelings for each other and they were both positive about the decision they were making. Jounouchi had made a call to one of his good friends who had taken up a slightly religious job. Jounouchi never expected Ryou Bakura to become a preacher, never in his life. He knew that Bakura was the only one that could help Mai and himself right now because they wanted to be together but neither of them had the money for something formal. The only thing Jounouchi could afford was the most important part of it all and that was the ring for Mai.

Last night he had proposed to her, he had gotten down on one knee and asked her the ever-remembering question. Mai actually came to tears before she accepted and kissed him causing him to lightheaded, but in a good way. Now they were driving ever closer to the church with their hearts pounding and their happiness never-ending.

**:: - ::**

_But then – _

_There was a crash…_

_It involved two cars…_

_And one was two lovers, still holding each other's hands but one was unconscious and the other kept calling her name, trying to wake her even though it pained him to do so. _

"_Ma… Mai… Mai, please… answer me…_"

**::…Summer has gone and passed… The innocent can never last… Wake me up when September ends…::**

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The beep of the heart monitor seemed to be the only sound filling the room beside the steady breathing of the patient and the occasional sigh of the waiting one. He sat at her side, holding her hand. His heart sinking father than it already was.

He couldn't believe it.

Her body was practically the only thing left of her now that she was in a coma. She stirred every now and then, she even spoke a few words. She kept calling his name quietly. Once she even said, '_Jounouchi please come back to me…_' and with all his heart he wished the same for her, he wished she would come back to him. Everyday it seemed it would be by her side from morning till night. He would be with her as long as he possibly could.

What scared him the most was that her heart failed twice now and the doctors said that if it happened again it would be fatal. It pained him because he was right there when it happened, when she almost died _twice_, when she almost let go _twice_, when she almost gave up _twice_. Jounouchi was always there when they revived her and it hurt even more to see her body shake as they shocked the life back into her.

It had been almost six months since the accident which led Mai to her current state. They were on their way to the Keitaro Church but as they went through the intersection a drunken men hit them on the passenger side of the car, where Mai was. Jounouchi's blood boiled at the mere though of it.

'_That bastard, he only got a few cuts and bruises while Mai's in a coma._'

The doctors said that the impact of the crash and her previous condition was the reason for her comatose state. The doctors told him that there was no way of telling when Mai would wake up. Even after such a long time, all they could do was tell him to wait and pray. Jounouchi at first could only cry, his shoulders shake as the tears came to his eyes. He felt so useless. He couldn't even help the one person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the one he loved so deeply.

Jounouchi's friends had even visited Mai over the months. Anzu came first, next Ryou, then Honda, and last was Yuugi. He was especially happy when Yuugi came, Yuugi was his best friend. He could tell Yuugi anything and he told him everything, Jounouchi even cried on Yuugi's shoulder. But after Yuugi left, he only cried more as his hand gripped Mai's.

Jounouchi clasped Mai's cold hand, still wishing that she would wake as he did every moment of everyday. Maybe today was the day she would wake up, it had to be. Jounouchi just had this feel in his gut that it was going to be today. Jounouchi laid down his head and closed his eyes, trying to picture the moment Mai would wake up but he kept telling himself that no matter how beautiful he could picture this, it would not be anywhere as breathtaking when that moment really came…

**::…Here comes the rain again… Falling from the stars… Drenched in my pain again… Becoming who we are…::**

Eyes opened, tired from sleep, tired from such a long dream.

But to her it wasn't a dream. She really believed she had lost it all but in reality she hadn't because what she saw before her could not be real. She looked down her side seeing a sleeping form. His messy blonde hair falling gently over his young face as he slept with his head buried in his folded arms. She felt her throat still dry but she still spoke, wanting to know why everything she saw looked so real.

"Jou-Jou-Jounouchi?" She asked, her eyes slowly welling up with her tears and her hopes.

Jounouchi perked up a bit by the call of his name, his deep brown eyes slowly opening. His hand still gripped Mai's and his eyes followed up her arms to see her eyes open ever so slightly, filling with small happy tears. Jounouchi couldn't believe it, it couldn't be true. Mai had finally woken up, _finally_.

"Jou… You're-"

Jounouchi quickly put his finger over her lips, silencing her. The last thing she needed to do was talk and move. Jounouchi knew that Mai needed to be checked over by the doctors immediately. Especially sense not only had her body gone into a comma but it had changed physically. She wasn't the only one he now had to worry about and now that Mai was awake he could now lighten his worries just a little…

**::…As my memory rests… But never forgets what I lost… Wake me up when September ends…::**

Times passes quickly when you have something to live for.

There they sat, enjoying their time being each other's arms and the cold air making their breath visible. Mai looked at Jounouchi, a small smile on her face. They had just returned from her physical therapy session. It had been only two months and Mai only grew larger.

Yes.

She was pregnant and almost at the end of her 8th month. Neither of them could wait for the responsibility of having this little being to come into their lives. It had been apparent to Jounouchi because Mai's abdomen still grew even though they had been in a car crash and even though she had been in comma. It was truly a miracle for them.

They had both even decided on a name. A perfect name.

"So, now that we know…What shall we name her?" Jounouchi asked her as he laced his fingers in hers.

Mai laughed a bit as she felt Jounouchi wrap his other arm around waist. She looked at him with her shinning violet eyes, happier than she had ever been in her entire life. She lightly kissed his cheek and laid her head down just under the nook of his chin.

"I think Sakura would suit her, don't you?" Mai said closing her eyes and breathing in the cold air deeply.

Jounouchi smiled and gripped her hand just a little tighter.

"It's perfect Mai. Perfect."

**::…Summer has gone and past… The innocent can never last… Wake me up when September ends…::**

_The End_

_Finished January.01.2005 10:12 P.M._

_Kiyama:_ So long, eh? Well, it's 9 friggin' pages on my computer. o.o Okay, I need to say the important stuff here: Shibby-One has allowed me to use a few actions and phrases from some of her own fics.n.n;;The song is **"Wake Me Up When September Ends" **by** Green Day**. It was bits and peices of it though. The fullversion is still an awesome song. n.n

I have metioned this fic for so long and now you all can _FINALLY_ read it. It was _MONTHS_ man. _MONTHS_!!! O.O I would like to thank those who took the time to read my hard work and I hope you leave me a nice little review.

Thank you all so very much!!! -Kiyama


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